The Sy Berger Collection To Be Auctioned By REA!

October 13, 2008

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Robert Edward Auctions is honored to announce that we have been chosen to present
the collection of legendary Topps executive Sy Berger at auction in April 2009.
It has also been a special thrill for REA to meet and personally work with Mr.
Berger. For close to fifty years, Sy Berger was the face of the Topps Chewing
Gum Company in the sports world, and for all but a few of those years, also
the face of Topps in the entertainment card field. He not only was responsible
for making the licensing arrangements for cards, he also played an extremely
significant role in marketing, producing, designing, and even selling the Topps
Gum Company picture card products that have had such a great impact on our lives.
Whether you are a serious collector, a casual collector of baseball or other
trading cards, or just have fond memories of collecting or flipping cards as
a youngster, we all owe an immense debt of gratitude to Mr. Berger. He is one
of the most important hobby industry pioneers in the history of collecting.
He is often referred to as "The Father of the Modern Bubble-Gum Card,"
though Sy always insists on sharing credit with illustrator Woody Gelman for
his contributions in executing his vision, and to Topps president J. E, Shorin
for his role in producing and promoting the Topps trading card product line.
Sy Berger was certainly part of a great team at Topps, but perhaps no single
individual played a greater role in creating the Topps products and orchestrating
the promotions that made card collecting such an important part of popular culture
in the 1950s to modern times.

Sy was at the forefront
of the 1950s "Bubble-Gum Wars," instrumental in acquiring the rights
to picture players on cards, an integral role in the ascension of Topps as the
greatest, most successful, and longest-running manufacturer of baseball and
other trading cards in history. In the process, Sy Berger himself became an
honored member of the Major League Baseball fraternity. In 1982 at the Baseball
Winter Meetings Banquet, he was honored by being named "King of Baseball"
for his contributions to the game. He is the only person to ever receive this
honor that was not employed in professional baseball. In 1988, Sy Berger was
also honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
The award presented to him reads: "In recognition of his role in the development
of the modern baseball trading card and for helping to introduce generations
of fans to baseball for more than half of a century." Due to his unique
role at Topps, there were few if any players for literally a half a century
that did not personally know Sy Berger. He became close friends with many of
the greatest stars of the game. Sy has had a particularly close friendship and
business association with Willie Mays dating back to Willie's rookie year, which
continues to this day, but has also been close friends with literally hundreds
of other players.

Sy
Berger was not a collector in the traditional sense. He did not personally collect
sets or consider himself a collector. As he says himself, he was more of a "gatherer,"
and even then, everything he brought home was strictly for his kids. Over the
years, he was always bringing home a few things for them here and there. But
when your career lasts over fifty years, a few items here and there can pile
up. Everywhere he went people were always giving him souvenirs, and work-related
items would also naturally find their way to him. If he had been a collector,
there is no doubt that he could have assembled the greatest post-war card collection
in the world, but Sy was far too busy creating the very products that other
people collect, and having a lot of fun doing it. He has no regrets! The material
the Berger children did save, however, is fascinating, and includes many unique
items. Highlights include an extraordinary collection of 117 original artworks
used to create the 1953 Topps set (including Satchel Paige), the original contracts
for the entire 1957-1958 Topps Basketball set (including the checks the players
signed), and the original contracts for the 1951 Topps Ringside Boxing set (one
of the earliest of all Topps sets) which Sy and the kids miraculously saved
for the past 58 years! Other items include the contracts for the 1987 Kmart
set produced by Topps (another Sy Berger idea!), three complete sets of 1964
Topps Rookie Award All Star sets in their original boxes (we probably don't
have to tell you but yes, Sy came up with the idea for the Topps Rookie Awards
also!), and numerous other interesting items.

This is not the largest
collection in the world (though it includes hundreds of items) or the most valuable
collection in the world (though it is very valuable). But for many reasons it
is one of the most special collections that we have ever had the privilege of
offering. The presentation at auction of these items represents a once-in-a-lifetime
collecting opportunity that will always be remembered by us and by future generations
of collectors. We thank the Sy Berger family for creating this exciting collecting
event, and most of all, we thank you, Sy Berger, for all of your great contributions
to our field. If it weren't for you, we're not sure where we'd be!

PSA/DNA has been chosen
to encapsulate a number of key items in the Sy Berger Collection, such as the
Bill Russell check cashed in payment for appearing on his rookie card. "PSA-encapsulation
does more than just provide authentication," notes REA president Robert
Lifson. "PSA-encapsulation presents items beautifully. The holder labels
can document provenance, and for items with a special provenance, this also
adds great value. The fact that the items are protected, can be handled, and
look great, are all tremendous value-added features of encapsulation."

Copies of the 650-page full-color
premium catalog are available free. To review past catalogs on-line, to learn
more about Robert Edward Auctions, or to receive a complimentary copy of the
catalog, or to inquire about consignments, visit http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.
For further information contact Robert Edward Auctions, PO Box 7256, Watchung,
NJ or call (908)-226-9900.

Copies of the 650-page
full-color premium catalog are available free. To review past catalogs on-line,
to learn more about Robert Edward Auctions, or to receive a complimentary copy
of the catalog, or to inquire about consignments, visit http://www.robertedwardauctions.com.
For further information contact Robert Edward Auctions, PO Box 7256, Watchung,
NJ or call (908)-226-9900.